The Taliban has called on Russia to support dam construction projects in Afghanistan, including the completion of long-stalled infrastructure such as the Sardeh Dam in Ghazni Province.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the Taliban’s Ministry of Agriculture said Minister Attaullah Omari met with Russia’s Deputy Minister of Energy on the sidelines of the Russia 2025 Economic Forum to discuss potential collaboration on water infrastructure.
Omari praised Russia’s experience in dam construction and requested technical and engineering support to develop Afghanistan’s water resources. The two officials reportedly discussed deploying Russian engineers to assess project feasibility and the exchange of expertise on modern irrigation systems.
The Russian deputy minister reportedly expressed his country’s willingness to cooperate with the Taliban and confirmed that technical teams would be dispatched to Afghanistan to evaluate the proposed projects.
In addition to infrastructure, Omari appealed for Russian assistance in bolstering Afghanistan’s food security, specifically in supplying wheat to address ongoing shortages.
Relations between Moscow and the Taliban have grown steadily since Russia removed the group from its list of terrorist organisations. Taliban officials have increasingly participated in diplomatic and economic forums held in Russian cities including Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Kazan.
